ULCCS unhappy over postponement of Wayanad township first phase inauguration

Kalpetta: The Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS), the lead contractor of Wayanad Township Project, has expressed strong dissatisfaction over the state government's decision to postpone the inauguration of the first phase of the township for the survivors of the Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide.

As per reports, the Chief Minister's Office cancelled the opening ceremony late on Monday, citing that the construction work was not complete. But the one-line press statement issued by the state government was silent on the reasons for cancelling the event. The function, which included the handing over of keys to 178 beneficiary families, was scheduled for Wednesday (February 25).

A key project official told Onmanorama that construction of all 178 houses has been completed, and the remaining work within the premises would be finished by Tuesday evening.

However, it's been pointed out that even if the keys had been handed over, it would have been difficult for families to shift immediately, as several allied infrastructure works — including the drainage, underground power cabling network, roads, by-lanes, and other facilities — are yet to be completed.

"This is a township project built on par with world standards, not a refugee settlement colony," the ULCC official said. "With more than 2,000 workers engaged in the mission and visible progress taking place every day, reports suggesting that the programme was postponed due to incomplete work have caused significant damage to our image."

Referring to the likely delay in families moving into the new houses amid ongoing large-scale construction, he noted that the government had already extended the rental support for landslide survivors by another three months, anticipating the delay.

He said the move-in will be completed only by mid-April. "It will take some more months before people start living. No family would be ready to move in while massive construction activity is underway, with thousands of workers engaged round-the-clock to complete the project on time," he added.

The official further stated that the site currently witnesses the operation of hundreds of machines and vehicles, large-scale soil transportation, earth levelling, road concreting and tarring, cement mixing, and other intensive works. "The conditions are challenging even for our labourers. Some workers have found it difficult to report for duty regularly due to health hazards," he said.

"We are striving to complete it before Vishu so that the beneficiaries can enter their new homes and begin a new chapter in life on an auspicious day," he added.

It is reliably learnt that the top leadership of ULCCS has contacted the funding agency, KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board), as well as the CMO, requesting the programme not be postponed, as it could cast a shadow on ULCCS' ability to complete the project on time.

If the grapevine was to be believed, the state government initially chose February 25 as the inauguration day, assuming the Election Commission would issue the notification for the state Assembly elections by the first week of March.

However, with no announcement forthcoming, the date was postponed so that they would have better visuals, which would create a more favourable image for the ruling government.